The City of Lawrence has centralized purchasing to provide resources to departments for their procurement needs. Purchasing will promote the pursuit of excellence and the best interests of the City while maintaining the highest possible integrity, broad based competition, fair and equal treatment of the business community, and increased economies and efficiencies by applying the best practices. To ensure responsible stewardship of our City’s resources, procurement of goods and services will be made on overall best value or lowest cost, whichever is in the best interest of the City.
Submitting Bids
Informal Bids
Purchases between $5,000.01 and $50,000.00 require a minimum of three (3) quotes unless this requirement is waived by the City Manager. Competitive bids from vendors must be received by email, mail, or phone in order to be considered.
Formal Bids
- Purchases $50,000.01 and over require a formal solicitation process which is conducted on the Vendor Self-Service Portal (VSS) at https://lawrenceks.org/ebid.
- Registration is required to submit a bid.
- Communication while a bid is posted must be directed to the Purchasing Department. Contacting other City personnel will result in your bid being disqualified.
- All formal bids should be submitted on VSS. Bid submission instructions can be found in the Vendor Self-Service VSS User Guide
- Bid Openings are open to the public and conducted either at City Hall or online meeting with date, time and login details included in the bid document.
- Bid Results can be obtained from Vendor Self-Service (VSS) portal. Registration is not required to view bid tabulations.
Receiving Payment
In accordance with K.S.A. 12-105a and 105b, the Governing Body must authorize payment of obligations for purchases, with few exceptions. It is the Policy of the City to adhere to this State Law and any amendments that may occur. All purchases must comply with the Kansas Cash Basis Law (K.S.A. 10-1101 et seq.).
The City’s preferred payment methods are procurement card “PCard” for purchases under $5,000.00 and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for purchases over $5,000.00. Vendors can sign up for EFT payment on the Vendor Self-Service (VSS) portal.
Important Information
Kansas Act Against Discrimination
Contractors must observe the provisions of the Kansas Act Against Discrimination and shall not discriminate against any person in the performance of work under the present contract because of race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin or ancestry. The contractor shall in all solicitations or advertisements for employees include the phrase, “equal opportunity employer.” The contractor agrees that if the contractor fails to comply with the way the contractor reports to the Kansas Human Rights Commission in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 44-1031 and amendments thereto, the contractor shall be deemed to have breached the present contract and it may be canceled, terminated or suspended, in whole or in part, by the City. If the contractor is found guilty of a violation of the Kansas Act Against Discrimination under a decision or order of the Commission which has become final, the contractor shall be deemed to have breached the present contract and it may be canceled, terminated, or suspended, in whole or in part, by the City.
Diversity & Inclusion
The City of Lawrence is dedicated to fostering the continued development and economic growth of small, racial minority-, veteran-, and women-owned businesses in an equitable and inclusive way. The City of Lawrence desire to remove systemic barriers to reconcile historic injustices and their continued presence in our work. Participation of a diverse group of vendors doing business with the City is central to this effort. To this end, small, racial minority-, veteran-, and women-owned business enterprises are encouraged to participate in the City’s procurement processes, including as subcontractors under prime contracts.
Vendors may self-identify when completing the vendor registration process.
Local Preference
City of Lawrence has a local preference policy. On goods and services purchases equal to or greater than $50,000.01 there is a 1% preference for local businesses. This preference does not apply to federal fund purchases or cooperative purchases.
Sustainability
In support of the city’s commitment to environmental sustainability, a deep respect for our place in relationship with the planet and environment, the City shall consider both the lifecycle impacts of the goods and services that are purchased, as well as the sustainability practices of its suppliers.
Sales Taxes
As a municipality, the City of Lawrence is exempt from sales taxes Kansas per state statute K.S.A. 79-3606. The Kansas tax exempt number or certificate for the City of Lawrence may be furnished upon request.
Insurance Requirements
Vendors performing work for the City must provide a Certificate of Insurance (COI) that indicates the City of Lawrence as an additional insured.
Cooperative Purchasing
The City is eligible to receive contract pricing from State of Kansas Division of Purchases contracts that are open to other political subdivisions. Pricing on Cooperative Purchasing and Disaster Purchasing goods and services listed on the Federal government GSA Advantage portal is also available to the City. Vendors must provide the lowest available contract price. Additionally, The City is a member of the following purchasing cooperatives and consortiums and qualifies for contract pricing.
